The Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi, Arunachal Pradesh has received two back-to-back honours — the Best Airport under the Regional Connectivity Scheme–UDAN award, and a provisional GRIHA 4-Star Rating for sustainable and green infrastructure.

About Donyi Polo Airport, Hollongi

  • Located near Itanagar, the state capital of Arunachal Pradesh
  • Named after Donyi Polo — the indigenous sun and moon worship faith of the Adi tribe, reflecting the state’s cultural identity
  • Operationalised to give the state capital its first greenfield commercial airport
  • Developed by the Airports Authority of India under the Ministry of Civil Aviation

UDAN Scheme 

The Regional Connectivity Scheme–UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik — “Let the common citizen of the country fly”) is a flagship central government initiative:

  • Launched in: 2016
  • Operated under: Ministry of Civil Aviation
  • Spearheaded by: Airports Authority of India
  • Objective: To make air travel affordable and accessible to common citizens in Tier-2, Tier-3 cities and remote, hilly, and tribal regions of India
  • Mechanism: Airlines are given Viability Gap Funding — a government subsidy that covers the financial gap when operating flights on low-traffic routes is not commercially viable on its own
  • Donyi Polo Airport received the Best Airport under RCS–UDAN award for its outstanding contribution to regional air connectivity

GRIHA Rating — Flying Green

The airport has also been awarded a provisional GRIHA 4-Star Rating, placing it among a select group of environmentally responsible airport facilities in India.

GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) is India’s nationally recognised green building rating system:

  • Developed by: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • Purpose: Evaluates buildings and infrastructure on parameters like energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, sustainable materials, and overall environmental impact
  • A 4-star provisional rating indicates that Donyi Polo Airport has met stringent green construction and operational standards — a significant achievement for infrastructure in a sensitive Himalayan biodiversity zone

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